The present invention relates to window shutters and more particularly to window shutters and components fabricated at least partially from synthetic materials and having features which facilitate installation and provide decorative versatility.
Various interior window treatments are utilized both in residential and commercial buildings. One widely used and accepted window treatment is the shutter. Shutters are popular because of their pleasing aesthetic appearance, versatility, adjustability and functional advantages. A functional advantage of shutters is that the shutter""s louvers can be positioned to change the desired light level and also to deflect light and reduce glare. Shutters also serve to reduce heat load transferred to the interior area through a window opening. Shutters can be manufactured to fit into window openings having a wide variety of sizes and shapes. Shutters in the past have been primarily made of wood and are fabricated and assembled off-site and then installed at the installation location. Generally wooden shutters are stained or painted.
As indicated above, conventional shutters are manufactured of wood. The stiles and rails are planed, shaped, drilled and routed in the assembly process. Wooden louvers are similarly formed and assembled as part of the structure. If the louvers are of the adjustable type, the louvers are provided with dowels or pivot pins, which are inserted into the vertical edges of the stiles. Subsequent to assembly, the shutters are generally finished by coating with either a stain, varnish or paint. While conventional shutters are widely used and are suitable to many applications, wooden shutters in some instances may be subject to warpage and discoloration as a result of the environment in which they are installed being subject to both heat and light.
As a result of the environmental conditions to which shutters are subjected and further reduce the cost of manufacture, shutters may also be formed of suitable synthetic polymeric materials. Materials such as polyvinylchloride, polystyrene, polyurethane, polypropylene are often used. One such material is the material sold under the trademark Polywood(copyright) by Sunburst Shutters of Phoenix, Ariz. The louvers are support on opposite stiles by pivot pins. The louvers are supported on pivot pins. The assembly and fabrication involves the steps of molding the rail and stile components, installing the louvers on pivot pins or dowels and completing the frame structure in which the panel is installed. Painting or staining in not generally necessary as the polymeric material includes a suitable colorant. Shutters made of polymeric materials have distinct advantages in terms of durability, reduced warpage and ease of fabrication, such shutters do not provide the customer with a variety of decorative features from which the customer can select. However, shutter assemblies fabricated from synthetic materials do not lend themselves to shaping, cutting and trimming operations at the point of installation and inasmuch as extruded sections are provided with an external smooth skin which, if removed, will expose a rougher more porous core.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a shutter assembly which provides the customer a number of aesthetic decorative options from which the customer can select. Further, there exists a need for a shutter assembly which can be easily installed without requiring cutting or trimming and which when installed will provide a tight seal against the window frame or recess in which it is installed.
Briefly, the present invention provides a window shutter assembly having an exterior frame which supports at least one louver panel with vertical stiles and horizontal rails. The louver panel is hinged so it may open or close. A plurality of louvers, which may be fixed or pivotal, are arranged in parallel fashion and joined at their opposite ends to the edges of the vertical stiles. The exterior frame, in which the louver panel is mounted, defines one or more channels or recesses extending in the surface of the frame. The channels are adapted to receive a decorative insert. The surface of the decorative strip carries suitable design features. One or more surfaces of the louvers may also be provided with a matching or compatible design features. The design features on the surfaces of the louvers are applied by embossing on the surface subsequent to the extrusion operation.
The exterior frame member, which extends around the louver panels, has a generally L-shaped configuration with a rearwardly depending leg section and a facing section which extends around the louver panel. In a normal installation, the rearwardly depending leg extends into the opening such as the perimeter area around a window into which the shutter assembly is installed. To facilitate installation with little or no cutting or trimming necessary, the rearwardly depending leg of the frame is provided with a flexible flap which abuts and seals against the edges of the opening providing a dust-free, neat installation. The flap also provides a clearance space with respect to the opening to facilitate installation without the necessity of trimming.
Accordingly, the shutter assembly, including the frame and louver panel, may be fabricated and assembled at the factory and installed with little or no trim work required at the installation site. Decorative trim features can be installed either at the factory or at the time of installation. While the components may be fabricated from wood, it is preferred that the frame, insert and panel components be fabricated by techniques such as extrusion and embossing using synthetic polymeric materials.